Never Look Back
by EmilyTheFreak
Summary: Recklessness combined with curiousity drags Chihiro back to the Bath House in the form of a friend who she refuses to loose to the spirit world. It's back to surviving in the world of no rules!
1. Itchari

(A/n) Yes, yes, I have too many stories that I never update.

But I've recently become obsessed with (Ko)Haku, so I really really REALLY needed to write a SA story.

Have fun reading!

**Chapter 1: Itchari**

_It's been five years… But I've never forgotten you, Kohaku._

_And I've never looked back._

Chihiro tossed in her sleep, revisiting in her mind the nightmare that had once been her reality.

"Sen, wake up!" Came a hushed whisper from next to her.

Chihiro sat up quickly, her chosen nickname bringing back sharp memories…of a soft hand…

"You were dreaming again," The young girl grinned, "Who's this 'Kohaku'?"

"Itchari, you know I don't like you teasing me about that," Sen replied calmly, though her mind was racing through her dream once more.

_Sen ran around in the Bath-house, her wandering eyes scanning everything and everyone._

"_Why, Sen, you've grown up!" Came a cheerful voice._

"_Rin!" Sen cried, as she ran into the white fox spirit's arms, tears flooding down her cheeks for some unknown reason._

"_What do I do, Rin? What can I do!" Sen yelled. She hadn't felt this scared and alone since she'd first gotten here._

"…_You aren't Sen," Rin stated suddenly, her face going pale._

"_No, I'm not," Sen agreed, for it had suddenly become quite clear. Of course she wasn't Sen._

"_I'm…"_

_But at that instant a boy ran in, staring at her with wild eyes. "Itchari, _where is Sen!_" He demanded, walking closer and staring around._

_Suddenly the dream's point of view changed._

"_Itchari! Get out of here!" The REAL Sen yelled, as everyone stared. "You MUST get out of here, Hari! NOW! Kohaku! Get her out of here, _please!_" She begged, looking around._

"_KOHAKU! PLEASE!" She screamed, feeling herself being dragged forcibly out of the room._

"Sen, snap out of it!" Itchari prodded her, her eyes holding something dangerous…almost reckless in them. Sen nodded, then pushed herself into a sitting position.

"You were in the dream tonight, Hari," Sen stated, unsmiling.

"Oh, was I? What was I doing, stealing your boyfriend? Or was _I_ the slave of your fairy-tale-land, too?" Hari inquired, smirking.

Sen sighed, nobody had believed her. She hadn't told her parents, of course, but only her closest friends. She had recently told everyone again, for her dreams had come back. She hadn't dreamt about the Bath-House of the spirits for years, but suddenly…

"I'm sorry," Sen stated, then dove out of the small tent, which had been set up in her backyard.

"Hey, Sen! Where are you going?" Hari demanded, coming out after her.

"Nowhere," Sen replied, her eyes perfectly awake and staring down at that road…The road that led into the Spirit World.

"Hey, you wanna go there?" Hair asked, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. The look did not suit her at all, with her curly brown hair and perfect blue eyes, plus a perfectly matured body.

"No, I must never look back," Sen stated, turning towards their tent again.

"Well, fine then," Hari snapped, walking past Sen, "_I'm_ going. I've always wanted to know what was on the other side of that road."

"No- wait, Hari! Don't go, _please!" _Sen begged, turning back towards her friend.

"I'm going!" Hari called back, starting to run down the hill towards the old road.

"Wait! Hari! NO!" Sen yelled, running down after her.

And so it happened, that just before dawn, they were both running down towards the Spirit World.

"I'm so sorry, Kohaku, I must stop her!" Sen whispered, running down the overgrown road after Hari.

Suddenly they reached a small clearing, and they were no longer looking at a road, but at a tunnel. Hari hesitated, and Sen used that moment to catch up and latch onto her friend's arm.

"Don't go in there," Sen pleaded, and Hari stared at her for a moment, the desperateness and urgency in her friend's voice making her think it over.

Suddenly Hari shook her off.

"I'm going, Sen," She snapped, then walked purposefully into the tunnel.

"Please, don't go! Come back!" Sen begged, closely following her friend.

"Stop it, Sen! Go back if you want to, coward!" Hari laughed mockingly.

"You don't need to be a coward… To not want to come back here…" Sen mumbled, falling into step with her friend.

* * *

Yes, yes, it's dead short. I'll write more, I promise.

So… what did you think?


	2. Blessing of Sunrise

(A/n) Wow, this was quick, you say. Yes, I am obsessed. And quite suddenly, writing is the only thing I enjoy doing.

And writing SA is what I enjoy the most.

Enjoy this; you might not have such good luck in the future…

**Chapter Two: Blessing of Sunrise**

_This much I remember:_

_The bathhouse comes alive at night._

"Wow, cool! A church! And it looks catholic! _Awesome!_" Itchari cried, staring around. They weren't quite out of the tunnel yet, but at the very end of the tunnel was a small church. At least, it looked like a church. _/But here, you never know/_ Sen reminded herself.

"Okay, so there's a church. Can we go back now?" Sen pleaded.

"Um, no way! This is totally awesome, and we might never get another chance!" Hari stated, laughing.

"Exactly…" Sen muttered under her breath. But then something else caught her eye, through the window. The bright rays of sunrise. Letting out a sigh of relief, Sen once more turned to her friend.

"Look, the sun's coming up. Our parents will be awake soon; we really _do_ have to go, now!" She pleaded.

"No! Sen, would you _quit_ going on about that! Go home if you want, coward!"

"I won't leave you!"

"Then you're coming with me!"

"Come back, _please!_ Hari, listen to me!" Sen cried, tears of desperation springing into her eyes, "There are _spirits_ in there! We can't go in, we'll be trapped! We might never come out! I can't leave you and let you go in there alone, but won't you _please_ come back with me! The sun is up, we can leave now! We _must_ leave now! Come _on, _Hari! _Please!_" Sen begged, tears now streaming down her face.

"I don't want to lose you," She finished, almost in a whisper.

"Geez, Sen! You really don't have to come, I'll be fine!" Hari chuckled, her eyes showing no surprise. Everyone had heard Sen's "story" before. But her parent's had a 'story' of their own, and it did _not_ include a mad bathhouse.

Sen realized that, no matter what she said, her friend would not turn back. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to the rising sun, and they exited the church.

"Wow, Sen! It's beautiful!" Hari gaped, staring out at the bright landscape.

"Yeah… I know…" Sen muttered.

"Come on, perk up!" Hari laughed, pushing her friend, then she ran out on top of the hills, "Wow! It looks like an old theme park!" She yelled back down, then stumbled her way down… the other side of the hill. Sen cried out, dashing after her.

"Look, this is where they were going to put a river! It's all just like your parents said!" Hari pointed out. "Now, if they were right, then there should be some food!"

Sen ran up next to her and grabbed her arm.

"Not here, Hari, let's go! You can't that food, we don't have any money! Plus, that was a dinner restaurant! We need breakfast! Now, let's go back!" Sen cried, pulling back on her friends arm as hard as she could.

Then she heard it. The train.

"Oh, _shut UP!_" Hari screamed, shaking her off once more and crossing the riverbank in moments.

Sen hesitated only for a moment, the words: "_Human side of the River"_ ringing back through her mind, clear as glass. But she had to go after Hari.

"Wait for me!" Sen cried, dashing after her friend once more. By the time she'd crossed the empty river, Hari was already running around in the town. Sen sighed; it was too early for this. But nonetheless, she ran after her friend.

Running around in the spirit town wasn't half so fun as you might think. At every turn, Sen was looking desperately for her friend. Whenever she didn't see her, she was checking her hands.

_'Well, I'm still here, but where is Itchari?' _She wondered to herself, fighting back a feeling of panic.

Suddenly she could stand it no longer. "_ITCHARI!"_ She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"I'm over here, stupid," Hari laughed, a twisted laugh, as she came out from around a corner.

"Come on! You have GOT to see these train tracks!" She called, running back over to … where she had come from.

Sen was running after her, since she'd first heard her voice. This place had a magic with time, and night came swiftly.(A/n: Remember when Haku first saw her? He said it was getting dark, and the whole sunset/twilight phase passed in seconds.) It seemed to be already long past noon.

When Sen rounded the corner, there it was. The huge bathhouse, in all it's glory.

Kamajii's boiler was lit, and steam was coming out of it.

And there was Itchari, on the bridge. Sen ran over to her, fully prepared to grab onto her arm for the last time and _drag_ her back through the tunnel. Glancing at the sky, Sen gasped. By the sun, it was already nearing 6.

"Hari, look at the sun!" She cried, pointing.

"Yeah, I know, it's just after sunup, 'member?" Hari laughed.

"No! Hari, the sun is on the _wrong side of the sky_ for sunup!" Sen pressed.

"No, it's not, you're just being deluded," Hari stated.

Sen finally gave it up.

"You are COMING WITH ME!" She yelled, and, grabbing Hari's arm, she began marching back through the town.

"Hey- Sen! Let go of me!" Hari complained, attempting to get loose again.

"No!"

"………"

"………"

They had reached the river. But the River wasn't dry anymore.

"No, we're too late…" Sen whispered, dropping to her knees as all the lamps came on.

She was looking at a sea. The blessing of sunrise was over.

* * *

Didja like? O.O 


	3. Entering the Spirit Realm

(A/n): I like this story… Go déjà vu!

Itchari is a stupid little prep, if you hadn't noticed yet. xD

Enjoy

**Chapter Three: Entering the Spirit Realm**

_Rin, you were bitter at first, but then you helped me…_

_I choose not to forget this._

"Sen… What's going on…?" Itchari whispered, now clutching onto Sen's arm. "Why is the sun down again? Why is there water here? Sen?"

But Sen wasn't listening. Her mind was slowly coming to a quiet resolve.

She couldn't let anything happen to Hari.

They needed to get into the Bathhouse.

They needed to find Haku.

They needed to eat some of the Spirit's food.

They needed to go… Now!

These were straight facts. Now, so long as they didn't panic….

_SCREAM!_

"Hari!" Sen cried, whipping around.

"Sen, what the hell is going on here!" Hari asked, eyes so wide you could see white all around. She hadn't come to the resolve of resisting panic.

"You know exactly what's going on here, so straighten out, now!" Sen commanded, keeping the edge of fear out of her voice.

Hari stared at her, then her eyes wandered beyond, and she let out a small gasp. Sen spun around again, knowing what she would be seeing. There was a city across the water. And on the water was a boat. And coming out of the water…

Hari screamed again, grabbing Sen's arm and pulling her away. There were shadow spirits coming out of the water.

"_Just a dream, disappear,"_ Sen whispered, her eyes taking on a dreamy haze. She was snapped out of it by Hari, who was now discovering what happened to humans in the spirit realm.

She was staring at her hand… And through it.

"Sen…?" She whispered, fear etched on her features.

"We need to get to Kamajii," Sen stated, "But first we need to get across that bridge. Come on!" Then she took hold of Hari, running back towards the bathhouse. This time, Hari followed without complaint.

Sen took a deep breath, hurrying along the way she had gone last time. As soon as they got to where she had met Haku for the second time, she broke out in a full run. Through the butcher's room, through the pig-pen…

In a moment, they were both leaning against the small fence door next to the bridge, gasping. Hari risked a peek above it, and saw the now crowded bridge, attendants and all. She let out a small whimper, turning away.

Sen was the next one to peek, taking in who the attendants were. Then she saw something that made her heart skip a beat. Could it be possible? There, nearing the fence, was the Radish Spirit. No way, it couldn't be the same one.

"Sen, one of them's coming this way!" Hari breathed, she had been watching, too.

"I know, come on!" Sen replied quietly, moving over to one side, Hari following.

The Radish Spirit, against all odds, came right up to the fence, opened the tiny gate, and squished through.

Sen glanced at Hari, she was already completely transparent. By the look on her face, Sen was see-through, as well.

That was it. The risk of not doing it was greater than the risk of staying here. Sen got up, and walked swiftly over to the huge white spirit.

"Mr. Radish Spirit?" She asked timidly.

The Spirit turned around, looking at her, slight surprise showing in his eyes. Sen clenched her fists, resolve strengthening.

"Um, I was wondering if you could get me and my friend some Spirit-food, Sir!" She cried, though quietly. The large spirited regarded her for a moment, then nodded. Sen smiled, relieved. It must be the same spirit, then.

"Um, thank-you!" She bowed.

The Spirit bowed back, then dug into the teeny bag at his side. Out he pulled a small bag of… Let's not find out what. He handed her some of the sloppy contents, which Sen took with another bow, then ran back to her friend. On the way, she ate some of it, trying not to think about what it could be.

Hari stared at her with wide eyes, and Sen fed her some of the food. Hari's hands weren't solid enough to get her own. In a moment, they could hold their hands together, and they had never felt more solid.

"_I'm okay!"_

"_You see? You're all better!"_

"Um, Sen?"

"Yeah, Hari?"

"Um… What now?"

"I'll have to ask the Radish spirit to…uh…Ah!" Sen had turned around, to find the huge … thing, directly behind her.

"Thank-you Mr. Radish Spirit, sir!" Sen cried again. The Radish spirit bowed slightly.

"Um, I was wondering if you could help us get across the bridge, please, Sir!" Sen pleaded.

The spirit stared hard at her for a moment, then pointed a squeaky finger towards the female attendants. Sen followed his gaze, and let out a small gasp. There was Rin!

"Um, could you please get Rin for us, please, Sir?" Sen asked.

The spirit nodded, then slowly walked back to the gate, and through it, and over the bridge…

As soon as he'd gone over the bridge, Sen let out a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding. He went straight over to Rin, and pointed one white finger over to where Sen and Hari sat. Rin glanced over, then did a double take, and nodded at the Radish Spirit, who then went on his way.

Rin glanced around for a moment, then began walking purposely across the bridge. Nobody seemed to look at her, nor care that she was there at all. In another moment she was across, and heading for the fence. As soon as she was around the fence….

"What the freaking hell are you, then?" Came a bitter voice.

"Shut _up,_ Hari!" Sen snapped back at her, then suddenly found herself in Rin's arms.

"Where have you _been?_ Why didn't you come to visit? It's been so _long!_" Rin cried enthusiastically.

"Um… Hi, Rin," Sen laughed, "D'you know where Haku is?"

"You _are_ always on about Haku, aren't you?" Rin laughed, "He comes by once in a while. He might be around tomorrow, but then, maybe not for months."

"Okay… Um… Rin… I was wonder-"

"Could you two freaks stop reminiscing, already! I don't care who this 'Haku' is. I just want to get home," Hari snapped.

"Oh, right…" Sen muttered, suddenly wishing for all the world that Hari wasn't there, "Rin, this is Itchari… Hari, this is my good friend, Rin."

"Hey there, Itchari," Rin smiled.

"Whatever…" Hari muttered.

"Rin, I was wondering, could we stay with Kamajii tonight?" Sen asked.

"Kamajii…? Oh, sure!" Rin smiled, beckoning them through the fence. She took each of them by the hand, though Hari looked reluctant, and started walking towards the bridge.

"You have to hold your breath," Rin stated, smiling at them both.

_Step._

"Take a deep breath…"

_Step._

"And hold it!"

And so, the journey across the bridge began. It was slightly less dignified, as Rin hurried through the crowds.

_Step._

_Hold it in._

_Step._

_Hold it in._

_Step._

_Hold it in._

They got all the way across just fine, thanks to the hurried pace. Rin stepped back to her post, while Sen and Hari rushed past her, into the gardens.

There were no people running around, looking for humans.

"_No, don't leave me, I don' wanna be alone!"_

"_Now_ what do we do, oh princess of the freaks?" Hari smirked.

"_Now_, we go down the stairs," Sen stated, walking towards the door.

* * *

Heh- look at that. 1000+ words on this one. xD 

Didja like? O.O


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